Equestria Girls Alter: Warframe Reloaded
by Brayden12021
Summary: When Alad V attempts to recreate the work of Tyl Regor, Twilight, Spike, and the Mane Six make their return to the Origin System to help the Tenno stop this evil plot before it gets out of hand.
1. Prologue

Author's note: Hey folks, Brayden here. For those of you who do not know, this right here is a sequel to a Warframe x My Little Pony (more specifically MLP: Equestria Girls) originally made by **TheFoolOfTheNoon.** They weren't interested in making a sequel so I asked to do so and they accepted. Now, I will admit, I was a bit nervous about this in the first place and didn't want a blatant repeat of the first story with Corpus instead of Grineer, but as I kept writing, I managed to get my storyline drawn out. Now, as this is a sequel, I'm assuming you've already read the first story, but if you haven't, you can find it on Fool Of the Noon's page. It's literally just the same title without the 'Reloaded' part. Now, as for the main plot, since the last one featured Grineer from Warframe as the main antagonists, I decided to have the Corpus and Infested as the bad guys in this one, as I'm not terribly familiar with MLP villains. I also considered doing Stalker or the Sentients, but I felt more comfortable with the ones I already picked. Now, this is obviously gonna contain spoilers for both franchises, so I highly recommend you at least get through the Apostasy Prologue quest on Warframe and/or finish the Equestria Girls movie if you haven't already. Also, like TheFoolOfTheNoon, I'll be putting most Corpus and Grineer speech in brackets () due to most of them not knowing English in game (with a few exceptions, of course). And with that, let's get right into the story!

* * *

Location: Tyl Regor's Lab, Uranus

Time: 5:20 P.M.

Within the depths of the vast oceans of Uranus lay one of the many Grineer Sealabs. These facilities were crude underwater bases consisting of Grineer architecture built into the ocean strata. This one, however, has been long abandoned, due to its owner, Tyl Regor, perishing in the Void. Since then, it has not been used by anyone and was left abandoned at the depths. However, it seems it would be getting some new visitors.

Near Tyl Regor's personal chamber, the doors opened, reveal a task force of Corpus Crewmen with their Dera rifles, and the bipedal MOA proxies accompanying them. Following the task force was their leader, a renowned Corpus veteran known only as the Sergeant. His metallic boots clanked against the cold, damp floors as he held his Lanka in hand. The other crewmen were immediately spreading out amongst the area, salvaging anything Tyl Regor might have left behind. The Sergeant stood at the center of the lab, not moving a muscle until a lone crewman called out, "(Sir, we've found it!)"

A series of pannels in the back of the lab opened, revealing a small, circular chamber with a series of tubes. In these tubes were two Ember-like beings with a distinct Grineer coloring: The Tube Man Salamanders. A small Locust Drone hovered nearby, displaying a holographic screen which showed the pale-skinned Alad V himself, with dark purple scaring from his Mutalisk experiments a while back. The Sergeant turns his attention towards the screen. "(Sir, we have located the Maniac Salamanders mentioned in the files we salvaged from Saturn.)"

Alad smiled deviously at the Sergeant's report. "Ah, music to my ears! If these 'Salamanders' are as dangerous as those Steel Meridian folks say they are, then they shall make a fine addition to my Zanuka Reborn Project. Return the specimens to me as soon as possible. It is only a matter of time before the Grineer figure out what we are doing on their world."

The feed was and the drone flew off as the Corpus began to extract the Salamanders. Meanwhile, in the rafters, a lone Black and Red Ivara Warframe knelt down, examining the transaction from above. Despite being a female Warframe, in orbit, she was being piloted by a male Operator, Arcturus. He stands up and speaks in a hushed tone. "Joan, are you getting this?"

Over his comm device, the French accented voice of his female ship Cephalon, Joan, was heard, "Yes, Operator. I have finished cross referring Hayden's reports from the Battle of Saturn: those Tubemen are the same ones as he encountered."

Arcturus sighed, "I thought he and those Mane Six girls killed all those things with Sargas and Tyl? Oh, screw it. Joan, prep for extraction. I gotta let him know."

Joan replied, confused, "Operation, would it not be best to destroy the Salamanders and thwart Alad's plants before he can set them in motion?"

Arcturus shoke his head. "A few too many enemies, this time. The Ivara isn't a really good Warframe for a fight like this, especially if those Salamanders are still alive. Besides, Hayden knows them better, and we might be able to track down Alad V if we let them get back to him-"

However, just then, he was interrupted by the metallic screeching of a MOA. He looks down to see the now alerted Corpus platoon look up and begin firing on his position. He groans, "Damn it! Looks like we're going out the hard way!"

The Ivara Warframe he was using leaped backward and brought out her signature Artemis Bow, holding it sideways and firing a horizontal spread of 7 arrows. These arrows punctured through the mass of Corpus soldiers in the chamber and incapacitating the Sergeant. As the Ivara hit the ground, numerous other Corpus spilled out of the doorway behind her, consisting of numerous Elite Crewmen, MOA's, Nullifiers, and even a Bursa. Arcturus immediately ran off.

"Yeah, nope. Joan, get the Archwing ready! I'm going for a swim!"

Arcturus, now with a Braton Vandal assault rifle drawn, ran through the rustic corridors of the Grineer base, occasionally firing at the Corpus behind him. Eventually, he reached a long corridor with an underwater hatch opened. Just as the Corpus came in, Arcturus leaped down it, narrowly avoiding the barrage of fire unleashed upon him. The crewmen could only watch as the Ivara, equipped by an Amesha Archwing, took off the facility, disappearing into the oceans. The Sergeant limped into the room, clearly not in a good moon.

"(Forget the Tenno! We have what we came for!") he shouted as his men. The crewmen and their proxy entourage made their way back into the main room, resuming their extraction. Just outside, Arcturus's Liset lifted from the rocky terrain and made a burn for the surface, leaving the sealab in its engine exhaust.

* * *

Location: Hayden's Orbit, somewhere along the edges of the Origin System

Time: 5:43 PM

Along the main floor of a Gold and Black Orbiter, things were as peaceful as usual. In the cockpit, Sunset Shimmer was sitting in a meditative posture. After being stranded in the Origin System, following the destruction of the Void Tower that maintained the portal home, she had been helping Hayden and the other Tenno fight against the Grinner, Corpus, and Infestation alike. To fit her human form, she wore a Black and Purple Manduka suit, a spare Operator suit given to her by Hayden. As of now, Hayden was somewhere else in the Orbiter, having just got back from testing out his newly constructed Wisp Warframe on a capture mission. Until he was ready to deploy again, or until Lotus called with a new alert, there was nothing else to do. However, this silence was broken by the cheerful robotic voice of the ship's Cephalon Ordis.

"Operators, we are receiving a call from another Tenno by the name of Arcturus. He has information regarding Tyl Regor's Salamanders."

Sunset immediately opened her eyes at the sound or Ordis's voice. She thought that all of them were killed along with Tyl and Sargas. However, before she could respond, Hayden's voice was heard from behind. "Put him on, Ordis."

Hayden, now piloting a sleek feminine Wisp Warframe, made his way up the ramp into the Orbiter, making his way to the communications terminal. Sunset stands up and joins him. "Hayden, do you know this Arcturus?"

Hayden shook his head. "Not really. He and I, along with two other Tenno, once brought down a Balor Fomoroian that was threatening to blow up the Strata Relay, and he works closely with the Arbiters of Hexis, but that's all I really know about him. Let's see what he has to say."

A holographic screen materialized, revealing Arcturus, an operator with light skin, long platinum blonde hair, and ocean blue eyes. Arcturus nods at the sight of them. "Good thing you two are still around. Now, about why I'm here: I was on a salvage run in Tyl's old laboratory when a Corpus Strike Team sent by Alad V raided the place. They found a secret back room in Tyl's main chamber that held two of those Maniac Salamanders."

Though no one could see it, Hayden's eyes widened with surprise. "What?! Sunset and I searched that place from top to bottom! If there were Salamanders, we would've found them!"

Arcturus sighs, "Not from what I saw. I tried to stop them, but there were too many, and I wasn't all that used to the Ivara I was using. My cephalon says that they extracted the Salamanders and made a run for it. I'm not sure where they ran off to, but Alad said something about a Zanuka Reborn Project."

"Oh great, first Tyl and Sargas, now Alad. What's next? Hunhow?" Hayden says with a groan.

Sunset raiseda brow. "Wait a sec, what's the deal with this Alad V?" Despite fighting Corpus for a couple of years now, and spending many hours on the Orb Vallis, Sunset was still a bit unfamiliar with the human managers of Corpus.

Hayden turned towards Sunset. "Well, Alad V is a Corpus scientist who doesn't know when the hell to quit. First, he made a name for himself by trying to create advanced robots known as Zanukas by using Warframe components, more specifically the Valkyr Warframe. When that failed, he was exiled, and you'd think he'd call it quits there, but some time later, he stumbled upon Eris and infested _himself_ to build a 'Mutalist Empire' of Infested Robotics and even a Mesa Warframe..."

Arcturus also spoke up, "He does offer us his 'help' from time to time, only to end up stabbing us in the back later down the line. He's certainly one of our more obnoxious enemies."

"And now he's trying to bring back that Zanuka Project with the Salamanders Regor created?" Sunset asked, seeming a bit stressed. "Oh, I should've never went through that mirror in the first place! The Corpus would've never gotten those Salamanders!"

Hayden clasped her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll get things settled. This is why you stayed behind, yeah?"

Arcturus sighed, "Well, it won't be easy. Most of the other Tenno are spread pretty thin right now, and the Lotus departing only made it worse. I doubt the three of us alone would be able to stop it."

Sunset looked back over to Arcturus, this time with a smile. "Well, Arcturus, we won't have to do it alone." She immediately activated the comm device on her suit and looked up. "Ordis, relay my suit's comm device through the communication console."

"Of course, Operator." Ordis replied.

Eventually, a few minutes later, Twilight Sparkle's voice was heard, "Hayden? Sunset? That you guys?"

Hayden smiled. "The one and only, Twi."

Twilight was heard sighing of relief. "Thank goodness, it's you guys! I haven't heard from you in a while!"

Sunset nodded. "Sorry we didn't call sooner, but we've got a problem. This fellow Tenno of ours, Arcturus, found that the Corpus were extracting Salamander survivors from Tyl's old lab for a new project. Some new advanced proxy based off of Warframe parts."

Twilight spoke with a tone of surprise, "Those Corpus guys are using them, too. That's not good. If Tyl managed to try and exploit your magic, does that mean the Corpus will, too?"

Arcturus piped up, "Well, they did access Tyl's notes and recordings. They most likely do know of you and the ponies. Not to put more pressure on, but they might also know of your world and may try to invade it."

"What?! We can't let them do that! You guys have technology far beyond _anything_ Equestria had developed!" Twilight exclaimed.

Hayden cracked his knuckles. "Oh we don't plan on letting him do so, but we could really use your help, Twi. Are you and your friends still together?"

Twilight sighed, "Of course we are, but how do we even get to the Origin System? Didn't the Tower blow up? Did Lotus find a way to make another portal?"

Sunset shook her head. "Well, she never really got to finish anything before she...disappeared. But that's a discussion for another time. I do recall her mentioning that the Void has some sort of strange connection with that mirror. If the mirror is active on your side, then it may actually link up to another portal here in our realm."

"You're saying that we can activate another gateway?" Twilight asked, excitingly.

Arcturus nods. "Yes, but there's no way to determine _which_ portal it will activate on this side until you're in transit, and these things are all over the system. You have numerous other Void Towers, the Infested Orokin Derelicts, Lua, and countless others spread across the planets and moons here. You could pop up anywhere."

"Well, it's a risk we're willing to take." Twilight stated. "I'm not willing to let the Corpus repeat the work of Tyl Regor and the Grineer. I'll gather the Mane Six and get ready for the mirror."

Hayden sighed, "I don't want to put you guys at risk again, but if you're serious about this, we'll be waiting."

"Got it. We'll see you there." And with that, Twilight's comm line switched off.

"Let me know the second they come through." Arcturus ordered. "I'll be ready whenever you are."

The call ended and the screen was turned off. Hayden made his way back into the Orbiter's main room. "Ordis, once you pick up any anomalies similar to the one from the Void Tower, let us know and plot a course."

Sunset followed closely. "Well, all that peace and quiet didn't last long."

Hayden chuckled as he walked towards the arsenal, "It never does, Sunset."

* * *

Location: Corpus Ship, Interplanetary Space

Time: 6:12 PM

In the deep of space, the Sergeant's Obelisk-class starship soared amongst the stars, making its way towards Alad V's base. Onboard, Corpus crewmen patrolled the interior, keeping a vigilant eye out for anything suspicious. Just outside of the main lab, a small Infested Maggot crept silently through the vents, avoiding the Corpus. It crawled its way into a lab room, where both of the Salamanders lay on beds.

The maggot leaped down, lurking in the shadows as it climbed up on one of the beds. It then began to claw through the stomach of the Salamander body, burrowing inside like a bird within its nest. For several minutes, no movement was made, not from the Salamander, or from the maggot inside. Then, in the blink of an eye, the fingers of the Salamander's right hand slowly moved as an eerie, wheezing gasp was heard...


	2. Chapter 1: Return to the Origin

Author's note: Okay, SUPER SORRY for the big delay between chapters. I got a bit sidetracked with my schoolwork, procrastination, and Fallout 3 (not to mention Destiny 2's Shadowkeep expansion on top of that). But, here I am, back in the game, and ready to dish out some more content. And the third part will should come out around November of 3019 (I'm just kidding. It, hopefully, shouldn't take __that__ long) Tonight, I only planned on writing a little snipet, but I got a bit carried away and decided to write the whole chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying this so far. And in case you were wondering, Arcturus is my Tenno OC. And Hayden is the Tenno OC of TheFoolOfTheNoon (who wrote the original story), if that wasn't obvious enough. Either way, enjoy.

Location: Zeipel, Lua

Time: 9:21 AM

Along the crater blasted surface of Lua, a pair of Liset Landing Craft, one Black and Gold, another White and Red, flew over towards a massive ruined Orokin Tower built along a ravine right in the moonrock. The two landing craft hover over a landing platform, their cylinder docking ports turning around and dropping Hayden and Arcturus, both of them in their Excalibur Prime and Mesa Prime Warframes respectively. Hayden's loadout consisted of his Hek shotgun in hand, the quick firing Vasto on his hip, and his fully restored War Greatsword strapped to his back. Arcturus's loadout included his prized Boltor Rifle in hand, a Zylok pistol on his hip, and a Tatsu on his back.

Hayden turns to Arcturus. "Alright. We get to the portal, we get the girls, and we meet back here. Sound good?"

Arcturus chuckles, "You make that sound simpler than it looks. Now that Alad knows about Equestria, he'll be sending ever goon in his pocket to kidnap them. Not to mention this area of the moon is geo-"

However, before he could finish, a moonquake began to shake as a slab of rock from the opposite end of the ravine breaks apart and slides down into the dark chasm. Arcturus turns towards the collapsed rock, then back to his Tenno comrade. "...geographically unstable. In a matter of minutes, this whole tower will be sent falling into that ravine, and us with it."

"Oh, great." Sunset remarks over the comms. "Did the portal really have to open up in an area that's about to collapse?"

"I think you'll come to find that fate is a rather cruel mistress, Sunset." Arcturus replies.

Ordis was heard as well. "In that case, I highly suggest you-****move your aaaaaaa...-****access the portal room and retrieve the ponies before total annihilate of the tower."

Without another word, the two Lisets hover off to a safer position as the Tenno pair make their way toward the ruined gold and white tower. As the tower doors open, they reveal a pair of oblivious crewmen, one of which is immediately blasted into 4 bloody pieces thanks to Hayden's shotgun, followed by the other mercilessly getting cut in half by Arcturus wielding the Tatsu. The two Tenno leave the corpses behind and make their way deeper into the tower.

Meanwhile, in the portal room, a lone Sniper Crewman, wielding his trusty Lanka rifle, patrols the area, keeping a keen eye out for intruders. The increased moonquakes had him on edge. He grumbles to himself, "(Why does Alad make us do these things? Those Tenno aren't even-)" Before he could finish, however, a strange whirl was heard from the Orokin Portal behind him. He raises his rifle, prepared for anything when a sudden shockwave sends him flying down off the railing and into the pit, dropping his rifle. Before he was sent falling to his death, he caught the sight of 7 strange figures coming through...

Twilight Sparkle was one of these figures, still wearing her Nyx Suit which she made in her previous adventures. She clings onto a nearby Orokin pillar, feeling the ground shake around her. Despite previous handling walking when she first entered the Origin System, that was still well over a year ago, and something she'd have to get used to again, as did the others. She looks back out to see the rest of Mane Six, all in there humanoid forms and Tenno suits, just like they were when they returned to Equestria. Well, except for one.

"Um, Twilight...I don't really feel like a Kubrow…" said Spike in his usually higher-pitched voice.

Twilight turns to her left to find a purple and green Chroma. At first, it took her a few minutes to register just who exactly this was, but eventually, she put two and two together. "Well, Spike...you're not..."

"What do you mean I'm-" However, before Spike could finish, he began to look at his arms and back down at his body. "Wha...I'm a...what am I?!

Rarity stumbles forward a bit before gaining her balance. "I may not be correct, but I think that's a Chroma Warframe."

Spike gets up, marveling his new body. "You mean that dragon Warframe that the Lotus was talking about? That's aweso-whoa!" However, he stumbles back, landing against a pile of rubble. "And...might take some getting used to."

Applejack eventually stands up, joining Twilight and Rarity. "This doesn't look like that Void Tower we saw when we first came here..."

Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie eventually get on their feet, looking around at the ruined portal room. However, before any of them could speak up, the ground began to shake again, causing all girls, and Spike, to cling to the nearest stable area as moonrock fall and collapsed some of the path. As the quake stopped, Rainbow gets up. "That's not good. Where's Hayden and Sunset?!" "Th-they wouldn't abandon us, right?" Fluttershy asked, nervous as ever.

Just then, the portal room door opens up, with a Detron Crewman's bloody, decapacitated torso sliding through. Standing in the doorway was a feminine Warframe with a cowboy like hat and a massive sword in hand. Despite looking female, 'she' spoke in a male voice. "We don't abandon anyone...Fluttershy, was it?"

Twilight slowly approaches the Warframe, a bit cautious. "You're not Hayden, are you?"

"Arcturus." The Tenno corrected. "This guy is Hayden." He points towards the Excalibur Prime, just coming into view.

"Hayden!" The Seven Equestrians say in unison.

Hayden nods. "Nice to see you girls all in one piece. You, too...Spike?"

Spike nods. "Uh, yeah, this is me. Like the new look?"

"Well, to be honest, I think it might've fit better if you were a Wyrm-"

Another quake hit the area, this one much larger. Parts of the tower were seen falling apart outside and the rustic Orokin metal groaned, creaked, and snap from the pressure. Arcturus, sounding a bit impatient, began gunning down Corpus stranglers with his Boltor. "Is this particular setting a good time for this right now?! The Lisets are not too far. Let's move!"

"Goodness!" Rarity remarks. "There's no need to be so loud."

Arcturus turns back, now even more frustrated. "Allow me to rephrase. You can get up and start moving, or I can personally drag you there myself. Your choice."

Hayden sighs and shakes his head. "Don't listen to him. We need to go before this whole damn tower crushes us into Tenno-Pony stew." Eventually, all Seven were gathered at the doorway. "Wait, is Sunset with you guys?" Pinkie asks, a bit confused.

"She's on the Liset, waiting for us to get to the LZ." Arcturus remarks. "Do I need to raise my voice again?" The Equestrians all shake their heads.

"That's what I thought."

As another quake hit, the two Tenno lead the way, mercilessly gunning down the fleeing Corpus who happened to be in their path. Thankfully, all seven of their companions had already gotten used to the walking, except for Spike, who still had to adjust to his now, bulkier form. Both Tenno had to sadly slow down for them. Of course, neither Hayden nor Arcturus liked to slow down in missions, and always kept a good pace, which is exactly why Arcturus despised Rescue missions. Slowing down for other below him really got on his nerves. Not to mention the facility they were in was a few nasty quakes from sliding into a ravine filled with Void Energy. However, he put this aside for now, as they exited through the door and onto the landing pad.

The two Lisets came into view as the group ran towards the landing pad. Sunset, who was watching from Hayden's landing craft nervously eyed them. Nonetheless, she held out hope as the two Lisets came to the edge and showed their underside access ports. Arcturus looks back at the group. "Alright, ladies, you know the drill. Pick a hatch and go-Hayden, whatever your dirty mind was gonna say, shut it." Hayden chuckles, "Arc, c'mon, that sounded pretty wrong."

"Shut up and give our guests some firing support, will you?" Arcturus says with a groan. The two Tenno quickly turn around and began to fire their primary weapons, nailing the pursuing Corpus henchmen. Fluttershy and Pinkie were the first to board, entering Arcturus and Hayden's Lisets respectively as the cylinder spun around and eventually came back empty, ready for the next two, which was Applejack and Spike.

Rarity climbs into Hayden's Liset as soon as it's open, while Rainbow attempts to go to Arcturus's. However, before she can get in, a massive metallic arch form the tower breaks apart and strikes the landing pad entrance, crushing the remaining crewmen, but also causing the rest of the pad to tilt forward. Both Twilight and Rainbow began to slide down, crying out for help. Hayden launches himself forward, grabbing Twilight just before she slips of, while Arcturus clung to his Liset and grabbed Rainbow. Hayden shouts, "Arc, you got her?!" Arcturus nods as he lifts Rainbow into the access port. "How I wish I still had my wings..." Rainbow grumbles as she was moved inside.

However, the unstable tower began to lurch forward even more, causing Hayden to cling onto the edge of the platform, with a terrified Twilight clinging onto his arm. He looks down at her. She stares right at him "By Celestia, please__do not__ let go!" However, Hayden's grip loosens more and more...until his fingers lost their handling. Thankfully, an arm would grab his wrist just before gravity sent him to his death. Arcturus was seen above, clinging onto a rail. He grunts and attempts to hoist them up. "C'mon...you..."

But it was too late, as the landing pad finally broke off and began its decent into the ravine. With his hand free from Arcturus, Hayden holds Twilight close to him as they fell into darkness, only for him to feel a sickening thud as he hit a hard metallic surface. He looks around to find himself landed on the underside of his Liset. Twilight got up, relieved that Ordis came as Arcturus landed on his feet right near them. "Get in your ship!" He shouts as he leaps over to his Liset right next to theirs. All three of them enter their ship, resulting in the two Lisets racing out of the canyon, just as the tower finally gave in. The massive structure slides from its position, disappearing into the chasm before erupting into a violent, golden explosion. Though they were momentarily saved, the Mane Six had no way home, now.

On Hayden's orbit, the young Tenno would leave his Warframe, reappearing in his Tenno form to see Pinkie, Spike, Rarity, and Twilight all exhausted, but safe and sound. "Looks like we came just in time, yeah?" Hayden remarks.

Before anyone could speak, Sunset hugs both Twilight and Hayden. "I'm glad you two are safe, but please don't do that again!"

Just then, at the communications terminal, the screen opens, revealing Arcturus in his Operator form as well. "Arcturus here. Just making sure you didn't fall in the ravie." Hayden turns back. "Nope, still in one piece. How are the other girls?"

"Shaken, but no physical injuries." Arcturus replied. "The thing is, where should we drop them off? Our Orbiters aren't that big."

Hayden ponders. "Well, we're gonna need a base of operations, of sorts. Idea's anyone?"

Suddenly, a robotic, French accented female voice announced itself on the coms. "Ooh, I know just the place."

The girls were instantly startled by the new voice. Applejack speaks up. "Whoa, who was that?"

Arcturus chuckles, "Relax. It's just Joan, my ship Cephalon. Whacha got for us, Joan?"

"Well, as some of you already know, most Tenno clans use Dojos as their base of operations." Joan remarks. "I believe our clan could use one as well. I've located an abandoned Dojo along the edges of the Origin System. Sending coordinates..."

Hayden nods. "So...we're a clan, now, eh? Oh, what fun..."

"Why do you sound disappointed by that?" Sunset asks.

Arcturus shrugs. "Probably because he is. Either way, Joan's preparing the ship for warp. We'll see you guys there." And with that, the screen shut off and Brayden's landing craft warps off.

"Well, best not keep him waiting." Hayden remarks. "Ordis, take us in."

"Yes, Operator." Ordis replies as he preps the ship for warp.

Spike walks back over to Hayden. "Hayden...if I may ask, how bad is Alad V, and what happened to the Lotus."

Hayden takes a deep breath and exhales. The loss of the Lotus, his caretaker ever since he was awoken, was a very hard subject to talk about, and not one he enjoyed discussing. Ballas's words repeated themselves in his mind, "I will not abandon you again, Margulis..."

He finally turns towards the four. "It's a very long story. Quite a bit has changed in the time you were gone. I'll tell you more once we get to the Dojo." He transfers back into his Excalibur, which kneels down at the navigation console. "And don't worry. Once we do get there, I've got a solid year and a half of interstellar hell to cover..." And with that, the Liset warps into space and joined its counterpart. Despite this one victory, the newly found clan still had much to do..


	3. Chapter 2: The Dojo

Author's note: Alright, here we are with Capitulo Dos (chapter two, since the first part was the prologue). This chapter's not gonna have any super big fights. Like the chapter two from the first story, this is just gonna be a bit of a setup. I know this is REALLY similar to the first story, but I'm trying my best to change things around. Besides, I need to give our new clan a break before I thrown them back into the fire again. Also, if you're wondering about Spike, well, I saw The Last Problem (which is the final episode of MLP ever) and just a minor spoiler here, but I saw how buff Spike was and I decided to include that in my story. At first I was gonna make him a Rhino Warframe, but then I remembered Chroma (a dragon based frame) existed, and I thought that fit better. As for why he's a Warframe in universe now? Because he is. IDC, I just found it funny. So, here we are. I hope you like it so far. Also, sorry for any minor grammar issues. I hope they're not bothering y'all to much.

Location: Abandoned Dojo, near orbit of Pluto

Time: 1:55 PM

Drifting near the cold, barren dwarf planet of Pluto was a lone Dojo. These mighty fortifications were often used by clans of Tenno across the system, acting as a quiet place for the Tenno and their Warframes to gather from the chaos outside. However, this particular Dojo was left adrift, its clan disbanding a long time ago. However, things were about to change as Hayden and Arcturus's Lisets dropped out of warp and began to make their way to the Dojo. Once docked in, the two Tenno lead the seven girls and Spike (who was still getting used to his new form), into the massive Inspiration Hall, with shades of grey and white along the walls and windows along the ceiling. The girls looked around in awe at the size of the place.

Even Arcturus himself was impressed. "Looked like that past clan did some good work on this Dojo before they left."

Hayden chuckled, "Sure did. Either way, Ordis and Joan finished downloading the schematics for the base. From the main Hall we're in right now, we've got Bio, Chem, and Energy labs to the left, and Orokin and Tenno Labs to the right. Going up leads to the Oracle, Barracks, Dueling Room, and the Temple of Honor. Going back to where we came in leads to elevators that'll take us to the Observatory up top and the Dry Dock down below. Too bad we don't have a Railjack."

"What's a Railjack?" Pinkie asks.

"You know the Lisets we use on our missions?" Arcturus replies. "Railjacks are like those, but they're larger and more combat suited. They can actually take on Capital Ships by themselves. A Railjack would be really useful in the future, but for now, we can use the dock for our Orbiters."

"Sounds like a deal." Hayden says as he fixes his Amp. "Alright, this is gonna be our base of operations in the Origin System. Once we get settled in, we can start planning our next move against Alad and his new Zanuka program. Until then, enjoy the peace while you can."

The girls nod and break off into pairs or go alone to explore the rest of the place. Spike stumbles a couple of times on the way out before regaining his balance.

Arcturus chuckles, "So, he was suppose to be a Kubrow?"

Hayden leans against a pillar. "Yup. Dunno how that works, but we could always use another hand, so I won't complain."

Twilight walks over, still a little shaken after her near death experience, but managed to regain her composure. "You seem a lot less grumpy than you were back in the Void Tower, Arcturus."

"When I'm in the battlefield, I play the ruthless enforcer. It's how we Tenno survive." Arcturus says as he sits on a nearby Orokin-style couch. "But when things are at peace, I can be calm at peace. Anyway, I'm sure you have some questions for us?"

"Yeah. What happened to the Lotus?"

Both of the Tenno were hesitant. The sudden disappearance of the Tenno 'mother' wasn't a subject they particularly liked to talk about. However, Arcturus answered, either way.

"A while ago, the Tenno across the system found themselves in a vision on Lua. Through exploring the depths, each of us found ourselves alone in a dark purple chamber. This chamber belonged to none other than the Lotus herself. We communicated with her numerous times in the past, but this was the first time we saw our caretaker in the flesh."

Twilight sits down with him. "That doesn't sound bad at first. What went wrong?"

Hayden picked up. "Well, next, a man known as Ballas, the Orokin Executor who created the Warframes, appeared, and took her from us. Even worse, she left on her_ own will_! It's like she didn't even care for us anymore! She's gone, and all we have left to remember her by is her helmet. Damn that Ballas!"

Arcturus sighs, "Hayden, you do remember the Lotus's true nature? Before she was our mother, she was a Sentient sent by her father to annihilate us and the Orokin. She only spared the Tenno because she felt adored by us and preserved us from Hunhow's wrath. I fear her awakening may have caused her to revert back to her original nature."

"It's Hunhow and Ballas! They're the ones who are manipulating her into doing this! Arcturus, you may have seen her as betraying us, but even if her becoming our mother was just her good side, she still cared for the Tenno. We can save her! I have hope!"

"Hope is the first step down the path of disappointment, Hayden." Arcturus responded, almost emotionlessly.

"Okay, guys!" Twilight interrupted. "The Lotus is gone, I get it. There's no way to get her back?"

Arcturus shakes his head. "I'm afraid we have no idea where she is. She's gone for now. We'll have to do without her, for now."

Just then, a holographic screen appeared next to Hayden, of Ordis's cracked cube form. "Operator, you have foundry items ready- **claim them now!** -at your earliest convenience." Hayden nods. "Alright, Ordis, give me a sec." As the screen shuts off, he turns towards the others. "Alright, I replicated some items to help liven the place up. I'm gonna go collect them from the Orbiter. I'll meet with you guys in a little it."

The other two give a nod of acknowledgement as Hayden walks off back to his Orbit. Arcturus turns to Twilight. "I'm going up to access the Observatory. There's a pretty good view of space from up there. Care to join me?"

Twilight was instantly intrigued. She had always loved staring up at the constellations through her telescope back on Equestria on a starry evening. She nods. "Of course. Lead the way."

The two make their way through the empty halls of the Dojo into the elevator. After a short trip up, it exited into a massive circular room, with an amazing view of the stars outside and a holomap of the Origin System at the center. There was even an arsenal near the entrance. Twilight was instantly fazed by how marvelous the view outside was. Arcturus himself brushed his hand across the console. "Everything here appears to be in order. I'd say we've found the perfect place to call home."

Twilight was still gazing out at the stars beyond. However, she still had many questions about the Origin System itself. She only knew the basics of each major faction from Hayden on her previous visit. And just recently, the two Tenno brought up quite a few names she wasn't familiar with. She was also curious about how the Tenno originated and came to be. She turns around and walks back to Arcturus. "Hey, Arc, may I ask you something?"

Arcturus looks up from the console. "Of course. How can I assist?"

"So, how did the Tenno become who they are today? Like, did you always have these powers?"

"I'm assuming Hayden never told you of the Void and Zariman Ten Zero?"

Twilight shook her head, never even hearing of the latter. Arcturus walks her over to one of the smaller platforms along the edge of the room. "It's a long story for sure. Either way, many years ago, the system was becoming overcrowded and being drained of its resources by the greed of the Orokin. To solve this dilemma, they constructed a ship known as the Zariman Ten Zero, a ship that could utilize the Void to sent a ship from one solar system to another. Hayden, myself, and many other children were on the ship when it was headed to Tau every went wrong. The Jump failed and stranded the Zariman in the Void. The ship was badly damaged, people were panicking, and yet...at that moment, us Tenno were gifted our powers by the Void."

"So, the Void gave everyone on the ship those transference powers and such?" Twilight asked.

Arcturus sighs, "Not everyone. While us children were granted our powers, the adults became twisted and feral due to the Void. They targeted us. The Tenno were conflicted about how to deal with the adults: Some of us merely held out hope and avoided bloodshed, others tried building a makeshift prison...but I and many others saw the adults for the monsters they were. They were nothing but animals...so we hunted them like animals."

"You killed your own_ parents?!_" Twilight shouted out, in shock. She couldn't believe it. She loved her parents back home dearly, and yet Arcturus, and Celestia knows how many more Tenno, just gave in and killed their parents without a second thought.

Arcturus nods. "We're not the heroes many in the origin system portray us as. Hayden might think we Tenno are destined to save the system from the cruelties of the Grineer, Corpus, and Infestation, but we were never suppose to be the way we are. The Tenno are weapons of the Old Age, fighting, killing, and looting without guidance or restraint. Our powers are as much of a curse as they are a blessing."

Twilight was about to speak, but suddenly, the door opened, revealing Hayden in his Operator form. "I figured I'd find you guys here. Hope I'm not interrupting."

Twilight shakes her head, "Actually, Hayden, I'm glad you did. Arcturus was just telling me about...Hayden, did the Tenno really kill their own parents?"

"Parents, what are...Arcturus? You told her about the Zariman Ten Zero?"

"Indeed I did." Arcturus replies. "But I'm sure you have more pressing concerns, yes?"

Hayden sighs, "Fine, we'll talk about the Tenno later. While I was setting things up, Ordis intercepted a transmission. Those two Tube Men Salamanders were sent on separate capital ships to keep a low profile. One of the ships just docked in at Alad's base on Jupiter, but the other never arrived. It stopped between Jupiter and Saturn. Might be a good place to start out."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to attack Alad's base, now that we know where it is?" Twilight asks.

"We could, but we're currently not in any position to." Arcturus answered. "Besides, we have the opportunity to stop one of the Salamanders before it gets to Jupiter. We should go in with a small team instead of bringing all of us along. I'd say a small fireteam of about 3 people."

"Alright. I'll call up Sunset. We'll take my Liset over to the ship when you're ready."

Arcturus nods and walks out of the Observatory, leaving Hayden and Twilight. Hayden turns to the purple-skinned Equestrian. "Alright, Twi, I want you to stay here with the rest of the girls. We'll be back after taking out the Salamander. And don't worry, once I get back, I'll tell you everything you want to know about us Tenno."

Twilight nods. "Okay. Please, stay safe out there, Hayden."

"Always am." Hayden replies. Twilight knew it was a lie, but didn't bother to stop him as he left the room. She then walked to one of the smaller platforms and sat down, looking into the vast abyss of space. She had much to reflect about the Tenno and their origins. Perhaps Arcturus was right in the fact that the Tenno were monsters, but she had yet to hear Hayden's part of the story. All she could do now was watch as Hayden's Landing Craft left the Dojo and warped into the unknown...


	4. Chapter 3: Salvage

A/N: Hey folks. Just want to let you know, this chapter wasn't actually written by me, but was written by **TheFoolOfTheNoon**, the guy who wrote the first part of the fanfiction. We did some discussing on Discord and decided to collaborate together. I did do some edits to this chapter, but otherwise, this was all him writing this. So credit to him for making this part. I hope you guys enjoy it!

* * *

**Location:** Jupiter Space (Proximity near Corpus Capital ship)

**Time:** 2:10 P.M

"So that's the missing capital ship? It's just floating there, odd," Hayden proclaimed as he, Sunset, and Arcturus closed in with their landing crafts. Sunset sharing with Hayden in the ride.

"Clearly something happened, Corpus aren't stupid. If they were to have mechanical issue then they would have found a way to fix it by now," Arcturus added.

"Then what happened? There is no damage outside of the ship either," Sunset pondered as she observed the outside with Hayden.

"Well there is only one way to find out what's going on. We get in and more likely shoot whatever tries to kill us."

"Our mission remains the same Hayden, we destroy that Salamander and try to find any information regarding to Alad V's Zanuka Reborn Project. Knowing that conniving scientist, it can't be good."

"Right." Hayden and Sunset said in unison as both landing crafts closed in and dropped them off at the vulnerable entry point of the ship. They worked their way through a couple of vents before finally breaking one and landing within a locker room. However, something felt off as the three dropped in. Hayden in his new Wisp frame, equipped within his infamous Hek and newly added Gammacor side arm. His melee weapon of choice for this mission is the Dex Dakra dual swords.

Standing next to him is Sunset and her sleek Tenno suit, modeled after the Nova Warframe; sporting her signature fiery colors. Weapons wise her primary is the Latron semi-auto rifle, her secondary consisted of the Twin Gremlins machine pistols and finally her melee being the Silva and Aegis flaming sword and shield. All modified of course to deal the most damage possible.

Lastly, Arcturus came with the Inaros Warframe. His weapons for the mission being the Ogris grenade launcher, the sight of the weapon caught Hayden's eye as he did not think somebody like him would use the weapon. His secondary being Akvasto prime, weapons that he seems to have expertise with as he casually spun them in his hands before holstering them. Lastly as his melee weapon he brought the Redeemer, a gun blade weapon that can shoot and cut enemies in twain.

Not too long after they got settled, they all got a communication call from the dojo, "_Hello? Oh good, got a connection!"_

"Twilight? Your working mission control?" Hayden said in surprise.

"_Of course, I'm not just gonna sit around and do nothing. Though this tech is still a bit out of my league, but at least the comms are still working pretty well. Ordis, Joan, you think you two can give me feed so I can keep track of all of you?"_

"Ordis can do that miss Twilight."

Joan also replied. "Indeed, it helps tactically if we have an eye in the sky, metaphorically speaking. We're sending you scans of the ship Twilight."

Both cephalons transmitted data to Twilight and ended up giving her a scan on the entire ship, "_Okay, got it…hmm…wow this ship is big…I barely know what most of this stuff is, but I can see you guys now. So, umm…Ordis and Joan…if this Salamander Tubeman could be anywhere on the ship, I would assume a secure cargo hold?"_

"You would be right Miss Sparkle; do you see anyplace that fits that description?" Joan asked.

"_Umm...oh! I think I found several! They are near three separate cargo bays, looks like this ship was trusted with three different high priority cargo. They are pretty far apart though…"_

"Don't worry, we can handle it from here. Just send the coordinates Twilight," Hayden looked over to Arcturus and Sunset, "You two got the info?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"May I make a suggestion?" Arcturus inquired. "We should split up; it should not take long to cross the amount of ground needed to reach those secure areas. If one of us finds it, we just call the others and we can extract."

"Sounds like a plan, Sunset is that okay with you?"

"I'll be fine, running around with you on various missions harden me enough. I don't need a babysitter, but thanks for asking."

"Alright, I'll head towards point A, Arctus you can handle point B, Sunset you'll head towards point C." Hayden ordered

"Sounds reasonable enough but ask next time if you wanted to use a nickname," Arcturus just gave a small wave as he immediately headed off towards his objective.

"Well he certainly has his mind in the game. Well I'll be heading off; I'll make sure to call you if _anything goes south."_

She readied her weapon and ran off as well. Leaving Hayden to run off on his own towards point A. The uneasy feeling, he felt since he came in was still on his mind. Ordis sensed this, "Operator is something wrong? You seem to be…thinking."

"Its just a feeling, something that I only get on empty ships."

"Ah, are you referring to your experience with that…_**creepy as**_…ghost?"

"Yeah…except its not ghosts I'm worried about."

"Hmmm…that is troubling…I'll keep an eye out for any potential threats. That way you c-can…_**Murder them in cold blood**_."

"Heh, quite right."

* * *

Sunset's path in the ship took her more downward and deeper into the bowels of the ship. Rarely she is ever left alone on a mission as she and Hayden often fought side by side. Keeping up with him was difficult due to his experience with firearms and various weapons. She had to learn by working with him and what sparring sessions they had. Thankfully, she picked up enough and learn some of the ways of the Tenno. Mainly through meditation and such practices that helped her focus.

"You can do this Sunset, time to prove that all that training didn't go to waste."

"_How are you holding up Sunset?"_

"So far so good…huh? Oh Twilight, didn't expect you to follow me."

"_Well I just thought I could as Hayden and Arcturus seem to be focused on their task. The latter more so. Also I thought we could catch up…and maybe ask a few questions."_

"Really, you pick now in the middle of a mission?"

"_Uhh…yesss?"_

Sunset sighed, "Alright fine, I'm all ears. So, what's up?"

"_Well…what have you been up to? We did lose contact with you and Hayden for a while and honestly it made us nervous. So, you can imagine my relief when we heard you two again."_

"Yeah, it was nice to hear from you too. As for that communication silence, that happened the day when The Lotus disappeared. It was a strange event to be sure, Hayden went to the personal quarters, talking about a strange feeling and needing some time to think. Before I knew it, he up and disappeared. I did not know what happened and asked Ordis what happened, but even he did not know. Poor guy was freaking out and I did my best to calm him down. It was only a few minutes later when he returned. Silent and holding the Lotus's helmet, he looked scared…lost… yet he still tried to keep a strong appearance."

"_That's terrible…I didn't get that feeling at all from him. So, The Lotus really is gone…"_

"Unfortunately, he doesn't like to talk about it much. He holds hope that we might find her, though I am not sure if things would be the same if we do. He will not say it to you, but he really considers her as his mother in a way. It's amazing at all that he can still fight with a clear head."

"_Hayden…I don't know what to say…"_

"Well if you really feel up to it, ask him about it yourself. He would probably know more than what I told you. Honestly, Tenno discipline is something to admire I am not sure how he can stay focused. Heck he trained me as best he can on what he believes is the way of the Tenno."

"_His way? So…you did weapon training with him? Plus learned about his philosophy?"_

"Yeah, he can be strict teacher at times, but he means well. Also, he can be quite tough despite his size, oh and do not call him a kid. I made that mistake and oh boy he made me regret it."

"_That sounds very interesting, but what's Hayden's philosophy? Arcturus said to me before that Tenno are nothing more than machines of war. To kill and destroy what comes as a threat to them."_

"Yikes…well sorry to say Twilight but that is true about the Tenno. The Orokin created them to be weapons of war so what Arcturus told you is not wrong. However, Hayden does not really see that as the absolute truth for the Tenno. In his words, 'We don't have to be machines of war and violence. Our past is in the past we are given the opportunity to reinvent ourselves. Not as beings of violence but protectors of the innocent and the oppressed. Heroes against evil even if it originated from us. We choose our path with our own decisions and that path of righteousness is one I choose to follow,' or something like that honestly it sounds like he wants to redeem the Tenno in a way."

"_That is very different from Arcturus's perspective. Also kinda odd since I remember my first encounter with Hayden, he wasn't really polite at first and kinda blood thirsty."_

"Yeah, Hayden is odd like that. Though I guess you can say there is two sides to him, Normal Hayden and adrenaline Hayden. I worked with him enough to see that when his heart gets pumping in a fight then he really goes all in with no restraint. It's crazy, but it doesn't seem like he loses his principles when going nuts though. However, it does seem like his void energy is spiking when that happens."

"_That's something to keep in mind. I wonder if Arcturus can or has experienced a similar event? Oh! Sunset have you seen the Void or made contact with it?"_

"Sorry Twilight, it seems to be a Tenno thing only. I seen the Void area though and that place is something else. All the old Orokin stuff is there as you remember, but during those times I been there I always felt like something was watching us. I cannot describe it any more than unsettling. Worst part is, I do not think its limited to void. I swear in the orbiter I can feel that same feeling, but only every once in a while."

"_That's creepy, I never felt anything like that before with Hayden."_

"That's just it Twilight, you don't know something is there unless you are made aware. So uh…when you ever feel that same feeling, uh sorry."

"_Its alright, oh! Sunset you are closing in on the cargo bay area, what the…"_

"What's wrong Twilight?" Sunset found her question answered almost immediately as she heard gun fire and screaming from Corpus crewmen.

"_Uh…according to radar…lots and lost of hostile life signs and…infested warnings?"_

"Infested?! What are infested doing on this ship?" She tried not to let her fear sound through as she immediately gave Hayden a call.

"_Hmm? Sunset? What's going on?"_

"You aren't going to like this Hayden, but it would seem we have an infested problem."

"_Infested?! Damn that ain't good, how bad is it?"_

"I don't know, but according to Twilight they are in the cargo bay I was going to check out."

"_Hmm…well there wasn't any signs of the infested on my way over to my designated location, so maybe its just starting to spread. The Corpus must have detected the plague and gotten out of there before they became victims."_

"Not all of them, I can hear some still fighting in there."

"_Wait what?! They be our enemy or not, being taken over by the infested is not a fate I would have wished on my worst enemies. You got to help them; I'll be on my way as soon as I can. Do your best, but don't let those things break open your suit."_

"Yeah, I know, game over. I'll be careful."

The call ended as Sunset stared at the door as more gunfire and cries rang out. Twilight chimed back in to show her support, "_*Gulp* I believe in you Sunset."_

"Thanks Twilight, well here goes nothing,"

The fiery girl pressed the panel near the door and it opened it. A dark wave passed through with infested spores flowing out. She imagined that it was locked up as a quarantine measure but considering that everybody else is gone there was no harm in letting it out. She pressed onward with her rifle in hand and going through the growing infested territory. The first enemies she made contact with were the Chargers and Leapers, some of the more common infested and weak, but a nuisance in large numbers.

Their shrieks and hisses of animalistic rage already had Sunset firing on them as she quickly fired a few rounds into the closest one she saw before moving onto the next. No surprise, that more of them began swarming her. Crawlers, Runners, and Mutalist corpus machinery began making a beeline for her. This is when she switched to her Gremlins and fired like crazy as she casted a null star to keep herself protected. Infested flesh went flying and their blood sprayed as they were gunned down. Despite the firepower, she kept on the move both to keep her distance and to find those crewmen.

She had to go through several waves of the creatures while moving across the infested cargo bay. Looking deeper she can tell the infestation must have originated from some sort of high security area judging by the heavy growth. With a might bullet jump leap she managed to see a few crewmen cornered by the infested. Targets in sight she dove towards them while shooting at the infested. The crewmen were taken by surprised when a hail of friendly gunfire ripped into the monsters and saved their lives.

("What?! Where did…")

"Help's on the way!" Sunset shouted as she landed in front of them and got rid of the last of the infested cornering them, "Follow me if you want to live!"

The crewmen quickly looked at each other and nodded yes as they got their weapons ready to support her, ("Being an intern on an infested ship is not worth the future money!")

With her new allies, Sunset made her next objective to get them out of this infested zone and into safety.

"_Great you got them! Just head towards the way you came in, though I don't think they would be able to do the same feats, so you have to escort them. Good news, Hayden is getting pretty close and Arcturus has been notified too."_

"That's great to hear, on my way out," Sunset kept her null star up as she worked her way through the monsters. The Crewmen did their best to help, but it was clear who was dishing out most of the damage.

As they got closer, a loud female roar rang from the far corner of the room. The crewmen shivered in panic which didn't send Sunset any good vibes as she doubled her efforts to get the men out of here. The home stretch was upon them, but before they can reach it, something leapt over them and slammed hard onto the floor in front of them. Causing them to trip over and fall from the shockwave. It was considered a miracle that the Infested following them didn't just leap onto them while they were down. Yet they didn't, all because the monster wanted them to itself and she quickly found out why.

"What the…no…you…" Was all she could say as her anger built up and she aimed her weapon upon the monstrosity in front of her. What stood before her, was the Salamander but now the infested has taken hold of the Grineer creation. Twisting it with infested wings, three-digit claws on all her limbs, four burning orange eyes and emitting a burning aura.

***RRRAAAAAHHHH!***

"Just when I thought you couldn't be any worse. This won't be easy," almost immediately she opened fire on the infested Salamander and the bullets scratched the armor, dealing small damage. It was enough though to enrage the monster as it made a beeline for Sunset, where she quickly dodged and fired more Latron shots into it, "Run! I'll take care of it!"

The Corpus, knowing they would be more of a liability than help in the fight they took her word and ran towards safety. Letting Sunset focus on the fight as she activated her Null Star ability again as she fought. The little anti-matter projectiles would launch at the monster and pelted it as she shot at it. However, it seems to shrug off the attacks as it returned with Fireballs and fire blasts. Some of the attacks hitting Sunset as she tried her best to dodge but the infested monster's speed was faster than her. Not to mention it was able to fly for a brief moment before dive bombing her.

Eventually the battle became close quarters and she brought out her Sliva and Aegis to slash at the monster with the burning blade. The monster itself used its own claws as it set itself ablaze with fire. The radiating heat ate away at her shields as she did her best to damage the infested salamander. She got a few good hits in, first stunning it with her shield and following it up with a combo from her sword. It tore at the infested flesh and burned it which earned a screech of pain from the salamander, but also a surprise punch to the face that sent Sunset flying back. The pure impact of it alone knocked out her shields temporarily.

"Damn this thing is a lot stronger than I thought. I would have been able to handle a normal Salamander thanks to Hayden, but this thing is more dangerous than I thought!"

***GRAAAAHHH!***

"Oh shove a cupcake in it!" She continued her attack as the monster continued to fire one attack after another. Slowly but surely she was feeling herself being overwhelmed. To her surprise the monster grabbed her by the face before dragging her across the ground and throwing her a fair distance away. The tumble did serious damage to her as without her shields she was taking the full brunt of the hits. She got back on her feet but without a plan of attack she can't win this fight.

"Hayden…where are you?" No sooner those words left her mouth. The beast lunged at her, ready to kill her where she stands. She can hear Twilight calling out to her, telling her to dodge. Her weakened movement made this hard, but just before the infested monster could hit her. A shotgun blast was heard, and the beast was sent flying back. Sunset smiled as she turned around to see Hayden floating in with his Hek smoking.

"Sorry for the wait, what I miss?"

/

Arcturus was sifting through files after coming up empty from his search on his section. He was hurrying as much as he can after getting the alert that Sunset was fighting off infested on the ship. However, they still needed information on the Zanuka Reborn project that Alad V was up to. So, he hacked into one of the high security computers using a cipher and found some important documents. Mainly about handling and making sure the Salamander stayed in stasis just so it would not run wild. However, digging deeper he found a project summary file meant to give out to investors who would fund his project. It had the layout and project idea and some concepts. Along with an image of the Salamanders which would be used for the project.

"Hmm…Joan can you download these files? This new Zanuka project is giving me more and more bad vibes the more I look into it."

"Will do Arcturus, downloading files now."

"Thank you, just got to get out of here with that information."

Arcturus pondered how the others are holding up against the infestation. Hayden is pretty capable based on the information he learned about him and his prior experience with the Salamanders and Regor in general. Sunset he isn't sure quite yet and that is what worries him. Data in hand, he quickly ran through the halls to reach the others. However, as he did this the alarms of the ship went off, flashing lights as an announcement rang throughout the halls.

***Warning! Warning! Self-Destruct activated! Get to Escape pods and eject! You all have ten minutes!***

The message repeated over and over and counted down. It was a manual self-destruct; in case the ship was compromised. Arcturus imagined it was those Corpus survivors who activated the mechanism to get the rid of the slowly infested ship. Not that he blames them, he would have done the same to prevent further spread. Especially now there is an infested salamander on the loose.

"Well as they say, kill it with fire. Or in this case kill it with Plasma."

/

Meanwhile Sunset and Hayden are slowly turning the tide against the infested salamander. The mix of Hek shots and Gremlin fire pushed the beast back and with the help of Wisp's healing mote they were able to keep their strength up as it tried to retaliate. Both can hear Twilight cheering them on, and eventually Ordis did the same, albeit awkwardly.

"Sunset now!" Hayden shouted, the fiery girl knowing what he meant and released Nova's fourth ability, Molecular prime. A field of anti-matter enveloped them and a large area, while they were unaffected, the infested creatures and the salamander have been primed to blow up. Hayden could only smile as he watched the creature's group together mindlessly as he aimed his Hek, "Tick Tick boom," he said jokingly as he fired his weapon. What resulted was a chain reaction of explosions that sent pieces of infested everywhere.

"That had to do the trick, there was no way that thing could have survived that chain of explosions."

"You would not believe how many times I said that in the past, and they would get back up."

"Really?" Sunset asked. "Well it certainly looks like it isn't getting back up."

The two bickered a bit back and forth on the conversation before finally the intercom sounded the self-destruction in progress. This took both by surprise as Ordis came into the communications, "Operator! Sunset! You need to-**get your a-a-as**\- out of there!"

"_The self-destruct has been activated! I marked the extraction point; you need to run now!"_

"You don't need to tell us twice! Come on let us get going!"

Hayden nodded as both made a break for the extraction point. Sunset ran while Hayden floated across the ground. Whenever they hit a large room, Sunset would activate the wormhole ability to bypass the time needed to cross. Still it would not be long until Arcturus would join them halfway.

"Hey Arc! Where have you been?" Hayden asked a bit jokingly.

"Oh you know, just getting what we came here for. Information, have both of you disposed of the infested Salamander?"

"Yeah, we blew that monster to kingdom come!" Sunset proudly declared while Hayden just rolled his eyes as she continued to tempt fate. Though he did not blame her, those things are what remained of her guilt in their world. The less of them the better, but unfortunately tempting fate never ended well.

***GRAAAAGHHH!***

They all looked back to see the damaged but very much still alive Salamander running at them on all fours. Hayden just looked back to Sunset who just shrugged sheepishly, "You see, this is why we don't tempt fate."

"We're closing in on the extraction point, we only got a few minutes left before this ship's blasted to bits. And that's going to be much harder with this beast pursuing us!" Arcturus angrily exclaimed.

"Then let's make sure this thing can't get back up!" Hayden said as he quickly turned around and fired a few shots into the face of the infested. Staggering it and leaving it open to Arcturus Akvasto, where he expertly began shooting the joints of the limbs of the infested monster which stopped it from moving further. Adding salt to the wound, he used his Desiccation ability to blind the monster. Sunset fired shots from her Latron before running in and smacking the infested creature with her shield before ramming the blade into the head of the monster. Its burning fire peaking out the back as she pulled it out and sliced its throat.

The salamander fell over, convulsing and bleeding as it struggled to move. The trio didn't have enough time to watch the creature die as they ran towards extraction and loaded up into the landing crafts and flying off. Leaving the beast to die in the fiery explosion that came soon after. The Tenno watched as the vessel was consumed in a vibrant, cyan blue explosion. As they left the exploding wreckage, they spotted an escape pod big enough for a squad of crewmen heading towards the planet. The Crewmen escaped with their lives and Sunset gave a sigh of relief as they headed back to the dojo.

"Twilight? This is Hayden, mission complete. We're heading back!"

"_That's a relief, I have forgotten how intense your missions can get."_

"Well that's just how it is. Hey Arc, I am sure you have lots to tell us on that data you found."

"That is a given, all I can really say that I got good news and bad news from what I discovered." Arcturus replied

"I feel like that is the case all the time with stuff like this."

"_Well whatever it is, some knowledge is better than none. The sooner we figure out what Alad V is up to specifically the better we can plan against him."_

"I don't think I could agree more."

The two Lisets flew back to the dojo as fast as they can. Ready to move forward in their mission to stop Alad V.


End file.
